


The Light at Dawn

by NanakiBH



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-10
Updated: 2015-04-10
Packaged: 2018-03-22 06:50:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3719182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NanakiBH/pseuds/NanakiBH
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Something has to be wrong if Noctis is awake first.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Light at Dawn

**Author's Note:**

> The prompt for this one was "You need to wake up because I can’t do this without you.”
> 
> I wrote this long before the game came out, so you can consider this like an AU that exists in the Episode Duscae universe now.

A light disturbance, something from the outside nudging him awake.

Ignis opened his eyes, blurry without his glasses, and blinked, trying to force away the sleep that still clung to his eyelashes. Something seemed out of place or wrong, but the face of the one leaning over him seemed nothing but calm. He allowed himself a few more moments, staring tiredly at Noctis's face as he tried to figure out what he was doing above him.

The others were still fast asleep, but Noctis was awake before any of them. Something had to be wrong for this situation to occur, but the prince showed no worry. His manner reminded Ignis of a cat, quiet and a little selfish, who just wanted his keeper to be awake at the same time. Reaching up, he ruffled a hand in Noctis's soft hair and pushed himself up. Searching about the tent, he found his glasses and put them on. Grabbing his phone, he got up and wordlessly left the tent with him, leaving the other two sleeping.

Outside, Ignis led him farther away from the tent before asking what made him wake him.

“I don't know. I thought we could go for a jog or something,” was his not-entirely-convincing reason.

Ignis didn't really mind if that were what he wanted. It was a little earlier than he would normally get up, but he didn't mind the sound of a light jog with the prince, especially when he could tell that there was something else on his mind. The fact that he was awake was too unusual to ignore.

Prompto and Gladio would be safe at camp. If he and Noctis went up to the road, they could jog for about a mile or less and return quickly, likely before either of those sleepyheads awoke.

The area looked very different in the morning. It was a time that came and went too quickly, often passing before they had a chance to appreciate it. Ignis wondered whether the prince had ever seen the way the morning sun made the water glisten. Even more beautiful, of course, was the way it sparkled in his eyes, a sight that only Ignis could see.

There was unrest in those eyes, though; disquiet. He wondered what it was that made their shimmer quiver.

They traveled the dusty, sole-worn paths, passing by sleepy monsters that were still too tired to attack, and eventually made it to the road. There were very few cars at that time, only one lonesome vehicle rumbling through the silence every now and then. That occasional car made the silence between them feel even louder and more apparent and made Ignis worry that there was something to worry about. The whole while, he kept an eye on him, watching Noctis carefully.

The longer they went without speaking, the harder it seemed to be for him to spit out a single word. Before he knew it, it was too late. He should've said something sooner.

Noctis stumbled on a stray rock in the road and sunk like a brick, gracelessly falling to the ground. Shouting his name, Ignis immediately halted and ran back to him, gathering him up into his arms. It wasn't the uneven road that caused him to fall. His breathing was laboured, and his eyelashes fluttered rapidly against his cheeks as he tried desperately to keep his eyes open. Noctis hadn't given him a reason, but now Ignis didn't need to a hear one to know why he was awake.

“Highness... You promised you wouldn't do this anymore.”

Weakly, Noctis raised an arm to shield his eyes from the sun that peeked through the trees to spite him.

“I couldn't help it,” he said.

Ignis's memory filled in the rest, knowing what it was that Noctis was really trying to say.

He was scared.

“I just had a feeling,” he said. “If I fell asleep, I knew I was going to see something.”

Even if he'd promised, Ignis couldn't even imagine what a difficult promise that would be to keep. What Noctis saw weren't just nightmares. Nightmares might've even been preferable to the horrors that Noctis sometimes saw in his dreams, and, unlike dreams, he never had the convenience of forgetting. His premonitions stayed with him.

But no matter how long he stayed awake, sleep would catch up with him eventually. He couldn't outrun it. The moment his eyes closed for long enough, it would be upon him, and he would have no choice. He was just delaying the inevitable.

That was why Ignis made him promise that he would never stay awake to avoid it. He had to take care of himself.

Putting an arm under Noctis's, he hoisted him up and helped him to the side of the road where they collapsed against the guard rail.

Having gone the entire night without sleep, still exhausted from the previous day's events, his body simply refused to obey him. When he slumped forward, Ignis put an arm around him and let him lean against his shoulder. Noctis must've asked him to go with him because he just wanted to get away. He didn't want the others to see him like this. Though he trusted them for everything, he didn't want them to see how powerless he was against his visions.

He didn't even want Ignis to know, which was why he stayed silent, but, if there were one person he could trust, it was him. Ignis had seen this before. He knew how to take care of him.

“I'm sorry,” Noctis said quietly, the corners of his eyes damp, exhaustion clouding his eyes.

“You don't have to be. It's hard.”

Gritting his teeth, blinking his red eyes, Noctis rubbed at his face, trying to stay awake. “I don't want to fall asleep now.”

“It'll be alright.” He couldn't guarantee it, but he wanted to make him believe. “I told you – if you're worried, stay close to me. Seek my light. When it comes to you, focus on mine and don't look away. Mine will keep you safe.”

Hesitantly, Noctis closed his eyes.

“Can you see it?” Ignis asked. It was hard to believe that Noctis could see the very light of his soul, but he'd witnessed his power and felt sure that the 'light' that Noctis saw was something real.

Eyes still closed, too tired to even speak, Noctis nodded.

“Good. Rest for now, Highness. I'll wake you in a while if I must, then you can continue to rest at camp when we return. I'll handle the explaining if you don't want to. It'll be alright.”

There wasn't much he could do but stay there beside him, hoping that the thing inside him held the same strong desire to protect him.

Gradually, Noctis's troubled expression faded, the knot between his brows relaxing, his breathing became more calm. The morning light cast him in a miraculous glow that belied the force he fought in his sleep.

“Hurry up, Highness,” Ignis whispered, resting his cheek against the top of the prince's head. “Come back to us soon. Come back safely.”


End file.
